
Tuesday February 4, 2025 | VICTORIA, BC [Posted at 11 am PT]
by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends
The NDP is calling for a Build Canadian, Buy Canadian plan to protect Canadian jobs and keep taxpayer dollars within this country.
“We can’t use these next 30 days to appease Donald Trump but to prepare ourselves,” said NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh in Montreal today. He was accompanied by Montreal city councillor Craig Sauvé who is the NDP candidate for LaSalle-Émard-Verdun.
Singh is calling on Canada to “take an number of steps” toward building needed things here at home in this country. “We’ve got to build more here.”

All federal government contracts should be done with Canadian sources, the NDP leader said today. That’s a strong trend which has caught on across the country with provincial governments (BC Premier David Eby has been pushing that) and municipalities (just last night both the District of Saanich and the City of Langford passed motions to support Canada-first expenditure).
That requires changing rules around procurement that uses federal tax dollars. “It should go toward Canadian companies that hire Canadian employees and particularly those companies that have unionized employees who get well paid,” said Singh.
Parliament is prorogued:
Singh repeated his stance today that parliament should be recalled. Parliament is currently prorogued until March 24 while the Liberals sort out their leadership and their current federal cabinet (led by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and heavy lifting by Finance Minister Dominic LeBlanc and Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly) deals with the tariff crisis.
If the House of Commons re-convened before then, what of the declaration from all three opposition parties that they would vote in favour of non-confidence right away? That would plunge Canadians into an election right away. The currently scheduled date for the next federal election is October 20, 2025.
Many Canadians probably think that energies should be focused on tariff strategies and indeed ‘build Canadian, buy Canadian’, which is what Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is doing with his top ministers and his Canada-US council.
Working together:
Meanwhile, Singh says the NDP is “open to working together as a country and how things work across provinces”.
He says the environment and workers need to be protected in this process.
Drugs are not the real issue:
As many political observers will note, drugs and fentanyl are really not Trump’s end game. He wants economic dominance over Canada.
There is “no credible threat of illicit drugs going from Canada to the United States,” says Singh. “The evidence shows that is not a thing.”
However, border protection from incoming drug components and guns that come into Canada from the United States does concern Singh, as he outlined today.
The Conservatives reduced 1,100 border officers under then Prime Minister Stephen Harper, which Trudeau did not reverse, the NDP leader points out.
Economic pushback:
If Trump wants to “pick a fight with us” it makes sense to push back where it hurts. Singh highlighted critical minerals sourced in Canada that are used in a lot of high-tech production in the US.
“We’re not going to buy American products. I’m hoping that is going to have an impact,” said Singh as the NDP pushes the natural momentum of Canadians to stick up for this country’s sovereignty.
On Vancouver Island:
“We must stand strong and united,” says Maja Tait, NDP candidate for Esquimalt-Saanich-Sooke. “We cannot let Trump’s trade war divide us as Canadians,” she told Island Social Trends.
She says the NDP supports dollar-for-dollar retaliatory tariffs, and to use resultant funds to support EI and other programs that will help workers.
“Let’s buy local, and support local industries like wood, fish, cider, as well as local farms and artisan items crafted locally,” says Tait.
===== RELATED:
- Federal seat open in Esquimalt-Saanich-Sooke (February 4, 2025)
- US tariffs now postponed for about 30 days to March 2025 (February 3, 2025)
- Tariff theme: Premier Eby highlights critical minerals & Pacific shipping advantage (February 3, 2025)
- American liquor still on many BC retail shelves (February 2, 2025)
- BC Premier David Eby on Feb 1 US tariff announcement (February 1, 2025)
- Prime Minister Justin Trudeau addresses Canadians about US tariffs (February 1, 2025)
- Feb 1 tariff announcement by US President Trump (February 1, 2025)
- NDP on US tariff threat, carbon tax, upcoming election (January 22, 2025)
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